USDA chief takes 'Georgia Fridays' as workers ordered to office

USDA employees say they have been particularly surprised by Secretary Sonny Perdue's recent pronouncement to cut back on telecommuting, especially as the secretary's many comments have stressed the importance of family.

Perdue himself has frequently combined office travel with visits home to see family in his home state of Georgia. USDA has yet to release all of Perdue's travel records that POLITICO has been seeking since October. But Perdue's Twitter feed shows he has organized his schedule to be in Georgia on Fridays at least once a month since August. The examples don't include presidential trips, such as the one to Atlanta to attend the national college football championship game with President Donald Trump on Jan. 8.

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A USDA spokesperson said his travels were justified. "Nothing in the telework policy prohibits approved official travel for USDA business," the spokesperson said. "It is an integral part of the secretary’s job to get out into the country to meet with and hear directly from the people of American agriculture.”

The spokesperson added that Perdue “is the first one in the office every morning and he is the last one to leave.”